Ecruteak City
"Sorry about the sudden surprise." Bugsy apologized over Jackson's tablet.
"No, no. It's no problem." Jackson replied, "It was actually fortunate, since he saved my Scizor at the right time."
"Really?! Thank goodness." he sighed in relief.
Jackson, Leafeon, Lyanne, and the rest of his team reached the Pokémon Center right after they came back together again, with the shocking arrival of Ledian in tow. Once they got there, Jackson turned in his own Pokémon to get healed before he called Bugsy over his tablet, wanting to know caused his first capture to appear at this time.
"It was after that whole Team Rocket radio tower takeover." Bugsy explained, "While I was dealing with cleaning up the mess my Bug Pokémon made from going chaotic, I pulled up the television instead of the radio, and saw the news about how you, Ethan and Kris all stopped Team Rocket, before you took off to Ecruteak City to stop Ho-Oh and Lugia. Ledian saw your face, and didn't waste any time before he took off to help you."
"I hadn't seen you in so long!" Ledian told Jackson, "And there you were, risking your life to save Legendary Pokémon like that. I wanted to go and help you so badly, so I flew as fast as I could."
"Talk about being proactive, Ledian." Jackson stated, "Not that I'm complaining. I am glad you came when you did."
"So this is the Ledian you talked about before?" Lyanne asked, getting his attention while Jackson conversed with Bugsy on what has happened to him so far.
"Who might you be?" the Five-Star Pokémon asked.
"My name is Lyanne, though I am really the Eon Pokémon, Latias." she introduced herself, "I've been traveling with Jackson for a while in order to explore the world and get stronger."
"You're a Legendary Pokémon?!" Ledian gasped, "Wait, come to think of it...I think I saw you helping Jackson out before. That's amazing!" Lyanne giggled at Ledian's amazement.
Just then, the tune signaling Pokémon being healed chimed, followed by Nurse Joy and her Chansey stepping out of the back, with Leafeon sitting on the trolley with the six Pokéballs owned by her trainer. "Thank you for waiting. We've been busy dealing with the aftermath of what took place." she told Jackson.
"No problem." Jackson replied, lowering his tablet as Leafeon hopped off, "How are my Pokémon?"
"All of them made a great recovery." she answered, smiling at him, before lowering that smile as she noted, "Although, your Scizor's pincers took quite a bit of burn damage from that incident. It might take some time for him to fully use them again."
"Oh, I see..." Jackson understood.
"He was carrying burning beams to save people that were stuck underneath them." Ledian explained.
"That would do it. Being a Bug/Steel-type, that fiery mess was not suitable for him." Jackson stated, feeling guilty, "I should've thought about having Dewott join him. That's my fault."
"No, it's not your fault!" Leafeon argued, "The entire situation was chaotic. You were just thinking of what needed to be done at the time."
Jackson looked to Leafeon, before looking to Nurse Joy, asking, "How long should it take for Scizor to recover?"
"Not long. I'd give it a couple days." she assured him.
"Well that's good..." Jackson sighed in relief, "It could've been worse."
"Jackson, I have an idea!" Bugsy spoke up from the tablet, getting his attention, "Why not have Scizor recover here with me? I've already had ideas on wanting to evolve my Scyther at some point, so this is great experience. Meanwhile, you can let Ledian join with you for a bit."
"I would like that!" Ledian chimed in, "I really want to join with you!"
"It would be like old times." Leafeon agreed.
Jackson thought about it for a minute. True, it would be nice to have Ledian back in his team again. Despite that, he felt a sort of guilt, leaving Scizor behind while he had a nostalgia run. But then, something else occurred to him.
Jackson's eyes were shadowed as he said, "Ledian, do you know the next destination we are going?" The Bug/Flying-type looked confused before he answered, "We are heading back to Blackthorn City. We have a rematch we need to deal with. Tell me; have you bladed things up a notch since we last saw one another? Well enough to face Clair?"
Lyanne looked perplexed, wondering if he was scaring him out of coming. Bugsy was hearing what Jackson asked, and was startled. Leafeon looked from Jackson to Ledian, who was surprised at where they were going. It took a few seconds before he could give a reply.
"I am not sure. Bugsy has been training me. And I still remember that battle a long time ago. It was scary, but I would like to believe that I can compete with her."
Jackson looked up at Ledian, before he turned to Lyanne. "I think it's time we test that. Before I decide to send Scizor over or have Ledian go back, let's have a battle to see how strong Ledian has gotten: By facing another Dragon-type." Lyanne looked confused, before realizing what he was saying. She was surprised, but knew what Jackson was planning. He was gonna have Ledian face her.
(Insert 'STAND UP' by Twill (full version))
Music Intro
(Traveling through shining golden tunnel of energy, leading out into space with many world, all of which different colors, with the central world being the Pokémon world. The logo 'Jackson in Johto' appears on screen, before the camera passes through the arch of the 'n' from 'in, going into the world, through the clouds, where the glowing shadow of Ho-Oh can be seen, to the sea, where the shadow of Lugia is flying beneath the waters, before reaching the shoreline, getting blinded by the sun.)
Yeah, stand up boys!
Come on, face forward
(Jackson stands up, with Quilava at his side, followed by Dewott, Weavile, and Scizor, all of which expressing their unique personalities to Jackson.)
The call enveloping you is your guide
Step towards tomorrow
(Dewott gets angry at Weavile for trying to act so cool, while Jackson rolls his eyes before he, Quilava and Scizor took off ahead, with Weavile following behind, ignoring Dewott, who panicked and ran to not be left behind.)
Yeah, stand up girls!
At the end of what's more than real
(Leafeon rises up with Lyanne as Jackson and the boys pass by. The two look to one another, before giggling at the sight of the boys, before looking to the sky.)
We'll grab a light that's been covered by thick clouds
(Camera goes up to see Gardevoir appear in a sparkling light, landing right next to the two girls, smiling pleasantly at the two before they raced after the boys.)
How we spend our days before isn't good enough
(Camera passes by still images of all the companions and gym leaders that he has met or will meet in the future, including Cypher at the end of the pictures, while Jackson, Lyanne, Leafeon, and the rest of his current team walked along the bottom of the screen.)
At full speed
We can blast through
Even the highest wall
(Team Rocket suddenly appears, with the four admins of Team Rocket standing together, with the images of their ace Pokémon at their side, and the satellite system right above them.)
Stand up for your dream!
(Jackson draws his sword, while Lyanne turns into her Latias form, and the rest of his team ready to fight together.)
Be enthusiastic at what you do, no matter what it is
(Jackson rushes forward as he slashes his blade against Team Rocket grunts, followed by a spin kick, sending them flying, while Leafeon leaps up and unleashes a forward somersault Leaf Blade, taking out their Pokémon.)
Push your way through to make an opening
(Weavile unleashes an Ice Punch as Dewott throws a Water Pulse at a different direction, followed by the pair unleashing simultaneous Night Slashes. Quilava leaps through their attack, going into a Flame Charge.)
No matter how far
The answer you're seeking is
Stand up for your dream!
(Scizor flies in, striking with a couple Bullet Punches before firing a Hyper Beam. Latias flies above him, unleashing a Mist Ball, sending it ahead. Gardevoir flew forward, using Psychic to catch the Mist Ball, spinning it around her before shooting it forward, adding a Moonblast alongside the attack, creating an explosion.)
Even if my feeling show weakness
Your voice that I hear close by
(In the burning Ecruteak City, a serious Jackson raced along the path with Leafeon and Quilava at his side, towards the two towers, where a deranged Ho-Oh and Lugia were at, unleashing Aeroblast and Sacred Fire onto the city.)
Gives me courage and strength
I can go the distance
(Jackson leaps high, landing on Latias's back as they flew off, with the rest of the team leaping with him before encased in a stream of their signature colors, before the screen turn white, with a crystal blue Pokéball with a gold and silver sword crossing behind it the only thing remaining.)
Despite the situation of Ecruteak City, with all the people starting to make their way back to repair all that was lost, Jackson chose to take a moment to go to the battlefield where he trained with the Kimono sisters, with Ledian in tow. However, as he made it there, he stopped at the theatre, which took some damage from the attack once the smoke had cleared, but was otherwise intact.
He approached it as there was a police van and motorcycles nearby. Officer Jenny and her law enforcement and Pokémon were together, with the Kimono sisters watching as they had Archer and Ariana in custody. From what he heard from the radio calls, all other Team Rocket members in Ecruteak City were taken into custody, along with those at the Radio Tower, along with Proton and Petrel. Their machines were also taken by the police, and the Pokémon on them were also seized.
"They're finally captured..." Lyanne muttered.
"Are those like the guys we saw in the well?" Ledian asked.
"Yeah. The top executives." Jackson muttered, walking in to get their attention.
Archer stopped to look at Jackson, saying, "You really think this would stop us?"
"I kinda figured it would." the swordsman trainer answered matter-of-factly, "You made a lot of noise, caused too much destruction all over the place. And with all that, you still couldn't get your boss to even come out to join you. Everything you tried to achieve before, along with whatever goals you had to go with your primary objective, was sliced away."
Archer looked to him for a moment, before huffing as he stated, "Yeah. Perhaps you were right. Boss Giovanni no longer wanted to be with us. Despite controlling the power of two Legendary Pokémon, we never got word from him. Maybe we were too hasty in our call to him to come back."
"Archer, you can't be serious!" Ariana gasped, "You actually decided to agree with what this brat says?!"
"Look at the results, Ariana." Archer retorted, "We lost. It's plain and simple. And we have nothing to gain from it." He was forced into the police van, making sure he wasn't gonna try to break out.
Jackson looked to Ariana as she passed by, and a thought occurred to him. "You know, I can't help but notice something." he started, "You and Cypher's hair color. They're exactly the same. And you seem to be close to Giovanni." Arianna looked to him, already knowing what he was getting at. "I only know his father was Giovanni, and his spite for him." he continued, "As for his mother, I would assume that-"
"I'm a Team Rocket Executive first!" Ariana started, "What I was to that boy came second before that. I only did what Giovanni asked me to do. Nothing else. I had no other motive behind my actions."
Jackson paused as she was taken into the van, before looking to her with a glare. He approached the van as they closed one of the door, hiding Archer from view. "Maybe it's time you should consider giving him at least one family member who loves him. He's grown into a strong trainer, but he never learned that love. He became spiteful with everyone, people and Pokémon. If I didn't have a mother and sister who loved me, I would've gone that same path, too. Don't let priorities like a man who will never come back to you or your son overshadow what you should be. If he had that, then perhaps he could be the strongest trainer in the world. Heck, I'd bet he could even surpass Giovanni. Wouldn't you like to have son like that? One you could be proud of?"
Ariana looked to Jackson, thinking on his last words. However, despite all that he said, she never gave an answer, even as they close the other door on the van. With these last words left not responded to, the van drove off, leaving Jackson there, watching them go.
"You knew she was Cypher's mom, didn't you?" Lyanne asked, "How long did you know?"
"Not that long." Jackson answered, "After seeing her again at the Radio Tower, and learning about Cypher and Giovanni, I kinda put it together. Do you know anyone else who had bright red hair like those two did?"
"Can't say I had." Lyanne answered, brushing her hair.
"Well..." Jackson continued, looking down sadly, "I doubt Cypher would make the first move, nor would she ask to see him. But I hope that in the future...they would talk to each other again."
"Jackson." Zuki spoke up, getting his attention, "I can't thank you enough for everything that you done."
"I was fortunate that we met back in Azalea Forest." Naoko stated, "You truly became our savior since that very day." Miki, Sayo, and Kuni all nodded in agreement.
"I was just glad things worked out the way they did." Jackson replied, "Besides, had you not summoned Meloetta, who knows where we'd be. If you ask me..." He spread his hands out, indicating himself, his Pokémon, Lyanne, and the Kimono Sisters, and finished, "...we all are saviors." Everyone grinned back at him, appreciating his humbleness towards the situation.
"That being said, before I help out with the repairs in the city, can I ask a favor to use your battlefield?" he continued, looking to the sisters, before looking to Ledian, "An old companion of mine came to join me, and I wanna test how strong he has gotten since we last saw one another."
"That's unusual timing." Sayo stated.
"I promise I'll help out. Can I do this, please?" he asked, bowing to them as he raised praying hands to the girls.
They looked to one another, before Zuki answered, "Very well. I don't see a problem."
"Thanks." Jackson thanked them, turning to Ledian, "Let's go, Ledian!"
"You got it!" he answered, and they raced to their destination.
He had all of his Pokémon out, with Scizor's pincers wrapped in bandages. Ledian was flying next to Jackson, a little worried, while Lyanne stood on the other side of the battlefield.
"I feel nothing but shame." Scizor muttered, "To think my pincers were not strong enough to endure such flames."
"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Scizor." Leafeon argued, "Fire is your greatest weakness. Of course you would get damaged while trying to deal with it."
"I would as well." Weavile agreed.
"Ha! Sucks to be you!" Dewott scoffed, "Fire is no problem for a Water-type like me!"
"Wanna bet?" Quilava growled, "Stop insulting them!" The two Pokémon locked eyes with one another, growling at each other.
"Break it up!" Leafeon argued, bringing her tail in between the two, "Dewott, you shouldn't put down everyone when we did our part to save the town. Just sit there, and watch the match."
"Fine, fine..." Dewott huffed, sitting back down, and furling his arms.
"You really do take control of the team, Leafeon." Gardevoir complimented her, kneeling down next to her to watch the battle.
"Thanks. I do try to do my best." the Grass-type answered pleasantly.
Gardevoir watched Jackson, stating, "I am the most recent member of this team, but I would like to help out Jackson and you guys anyway I can."
"You will. I know the experience will come to you in due time." Leafeon assured her, watching her trainer.
"Lyanne, if you wouldn't mind." Jackson requested. She nodded in response, and transformed into her Latias form.
"Woah!" Ledian was amazed, "I'm seeing it, but I still can't believe it!"
"Focus, Ledian." Jackson told him, pulling out his Pokedex, examining his partner, and seeing the moves he had, "Let's see here...you got quite a variety of moves. I am impressed. But lets see how well we can use them." He waved to his Eon Pokémon companion, saying, "Take the first move, Latias!"
"You got it. Dragon Breath!" She exhaled a stream of draconic green flames, going towards Ledian.
"Light Screen!" Jackson ordered, and Ledian produced a screen of glass-like energy, enduring the attack. "Now, Agility!" Jackson ordered. Ledian started to glow as he became faster and faster, getting in close to Latias before she could react.
"Just like me." Scizor stated.
"He is moving very fast!" Leafeon pointed out.
"Let's see how you deal with this! Surf!" she declared, summoning a tidal wave that knocked Ledian back, causing him to spin, but maintain his flight.
"Ledian, counter with Bug Buzz!" Jackson shouted. Ledian flapped his wings, and summoned red sound waves down at Latias. However, she flew up to avoid the super-effective attack, getting high into the sky, before shooting down a Mist Ball at Ledian, who used his Agility-boosted speed to avoid the attack, before flying in close.
"Let's see your last attack; Ice Punch!" Jackson ordered. Ledian's fist became encased in an icy aura, like Weavile's same attack, before punching forward. However, Latias backed off before the attack made contact. "Don't give up. Put the pressure on her!" Jackson shouted. Ledian made all four of its fists become icy, and started pursuing Latias, trying to punch her as she avoided the best she could. However, he managed to get a swing in, and punched her a few times, before knocking her downward, causing her to fall to the ground below. She managed to catch herself, and fly back up again.
"I won't let you get away with that!" she barked, shooting another Dragon Breath attack at him. Ledian barely backed off as the attack was blown right up where he was at before, though the energy did reach him enough to grazed. This was followed by his body to spark a bit. He got hit with the paralysis effect of Dragon Breath.
"Crap!" Ledian grimaced, feeling the paralysis.
"Sorry, but I can't hold back." Latias told her opponent, before creating her Mist Ball, creating a compressed ball of her downs before firing it at Ledian, striking him while he was paralyzed, causing him to fall from the sky.
"Ledian!" Leafeon exclaimed, as Weavile, Dewott, and Quilava looked worried for him.
Ledian squinted, seeing Jackson's expression. It was calm and composed, observing Ledian. He was not feelign sympathetic, but wanted to be fair. He wanted to see if he could overcome his situation. Gathering himself up as he fell, he overcame and flipped in the air, slowing his descent. He touched the ground with his feet, sighing in relief as he looked to Latias, who hovered over him.
"You good to keep going, Ledian?" Jackson asked.
"I can continue." he answered, pumping his fists.
Jackson smirked as he stated, "That's good."
"I still won't go easy on you. Surf!" Latias summoned another tidal wave, bearing down on Ledian.
"Light Screen, then Ice Punch!" Jackson commanded. Ledian summoned up another barrier, blocking the oncoming Surf attack, taking minimal damage from it, before unleashing his four icy fists at Latias while she got out of the attack, punching her away.
"That hurt..." Latias muttered.
"Ledian's Iron Fist ability is boosting his Ice Punch." Leafeon pointed out.
Latias closed her eyes, and used her Recover, healing herself of the damage that was dealt to her. "It is rather one-sided, however." Gardevoir pointed out, "Latias has the advantage in power and recovery. Ledian is not gonna be able to beat her that easily."
Ledian started to fly again as Jackson called out, "Use Bug Buzz!" Ledian unleashed a powerful soundwave with his wings once more, while Latias unleashed her Mist Ball once more. Both attack passed by one another, with each taking the full blow of it. Despite Light Screen being active, Ledian looked worse for wears from the amount of damage he took, especially since there was a downward energy, as his Special Attack strength was reduced.
"I can't go out just yet!" he grimaced, thinking back to all the training he did with Bugsy and his Pokémon, "Bugsy had been helping me so much before. Butterfree, Beedrill, Spinarak, Heracross, Scyther...all of them were helping me out in getting stronger. I can't let them down!"
"Ledian, get in close with Agility, then Ice Punch!" Jackson shouted. Ledian boosted his speed again, feeling the twinge of the paralysis affect kicking in, and making him stagger. This gave Latias the opportunity to fire off another Dragon Breath, blasting him hard, despite the Light Screen.
"That was point-blank!" Dewott noticed.
"Ledian, no!" Quilava exclaimed.
Scizor watched his fellow Bug-type try to overcome the attack. Ledian was in pain, but found the resolve to pull through, pushing himself over the Dragon Breath, and punch Latias with the Ice Punch attack, stopping her attack. She backed off, looking to see Ledian extremely exhausted, and barely able to hold himself up.
"You are very sturdy, Ledian." Latias noted, "But you know you can't fight that well in your state."
"I...can still try." Ledian muttered, very weakened, flapping his wings faster, "I don't want to be a burden to Jackson, Leafeon, Scizor, or any of the team." His fists became icy again, and he used his Agility-boosted speed to blitz behind Latias, punching her, before going at blinding speeds to hit her over and over again, trying to weaken her slowly but surely.
Latias felt the coldness of Ledian's attack build up, and knew she had to get out of there. She took off to the sky, with Ledian trying to pursue her, only for the paralysis to take in. She turned around and dove back down, unleashing a Mist Ball once more, and fired it at point-blank range at Ledian. He only made eye contact for one moment, before getting blasted to the ground, creating a dust cloud. When the dust cleared, Ledian had spirals in his eyes, unable to continue.
"That's it!" Jackson called out, before racing over to Ledian, pulling out a Sitrus berry as he did so. Everyone gathered around while Latias floated to the ground. Jackson placed the berry to Ledian's mouth, who smelt it, and took a bite of the berry. After a few more nibbles, he felt his strength come back, and got into a sitting position.
He looked at the group, before looing down, saddened as he muttered, "Guess...I lost, didn't I? I didn't make the cut to join up again."
"Hardly." Jackson answered, smiling at him, "I think you're more than worthy to join."
Ledian looked amazed, before noting, "But...I didn't win the battle."
"But you went toe-to-toe with a Legendary Pokémon, and managed to hold your own." Leafeon pointed out, looking to Latias.
"I agree. You were clearly giving me all you had, and it was tough." the Dragon/Psychic-type pointed out.
"You took several hits from Latias, and still pushed forward." Scizor added, "I wouldn't have been able to withstand as long as you did."
"You guys..." Ledian noting, looking to the four, seeing their expressions, and stated, "You're serious about this."
"Well, what do the rest of you guys think?" Jackson asked the other team members."
"He was pretty good...I guess." Dewott answered in a tsundere tone.
"I was moved by your tenacity." Weavile stated.
"And you hadn't even had Jackson's aggressive training!" Quilava added.
"I would love it if you joined us." Gardevoir requested.
"Scizor, you have no problem with this, right?" Jackson asked, looking to the said Pokémon, "Do you want to recuperate with Bugsy while Ledian joins us?"
"As shameful as I am to admit, I am unfit to continue fighting in my state of being, sensei. But after witnessing Ledian's capability, I know you are in good hands with him here. I will bow out, and allow Ledian to take my place." He raised a bandaged fist to Ledian, saying, "Do the very best you can for my sensei."
"I will!" Ledian answered, bumping his fist with him.
Moments later, they arrived back at the Pokémon Center, where Jackson linked up with Bugsy over the computer. Leafeon, Ledian, Lyanne, and Scizor were out together behind him. "Okay. I have Ledian's Pokéball over here." the Bug-type gym leader told Jackson, raising the said ball.
Jackson turned to Scizor, having him out at the last minute, before putting him back in his Park Ball. He then placed the ball onto the transport device. "We're good to go." He and Bugsy activated their respective systems. A surge of energy sucked up Scizor's ball, transported to the Center in Azalea Town. After a few second, the energy shot through the machine again, and Ledian's Pokéball appeared.
"Alright. Everything's good on my end." Jackson told Bugsy, showing the ball off.
"Same for me." Bugsy answered, holding the Park Ball up.
"Great. Take care of Scizor for me, please." Jackson told him.
"Will do!" he answered eagerly, "I'm excited to gain more bug research!" After that, the screen went blank.
Jackson turned to his team, stating, "Okay. Ledian, I officially welcome you back to the team."
"Great to be back!" he replied, putting his fists on his sides, "So, does that mean we're setting off to take our revenge match against Clair?"
"Not just yet." Jackson answered, looking to Leafeon and Lyanne, "We have a promise to keep." They nodded in understanding, knowing what he was talking about.
That promise? To repair Ecruteak City. He and his team split up into groups; with Jackson, Leafeon, Ledian, and Dewott being in one group, while Lyanne, Weavile, Quilava, and Gardevoir in another group. They worked together with all able bodies as they safely tore down burnt buildings, shifting rubble about to create safe passages, and moving supplies or people for medical treatment. Despite their best efforts, and how much they tried to protect the place, there were still unfortunate casualties from Lugia & Ho-Oh's attack. Despite it, no one blamed the Tower Duo for their actions, as it was publically notified of what Team Rocket did.
Jackson sliced up wooden scaffolding from one building, making it easier for people to move. He sheathed his blade as Dewott and Ledian started grabbing and moving the pieces out of the way. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked about for the next task that needed to be done. "Excuse me." someone spoke up, and Jackson turned to see a slightly elderly couple approach him.
"Can I help you with something?" he asked.
"You have done more than enough for us." the old man answered, looking to Dewott, lifting up a piece of the wooden scaffolding, "You are the owner of that Dewott, correct? It was thanks to him that were safely evacuated."
Jackson smiled and turned to call out to Dewott, whose ear was wide open to the praise. "Hear that, partner? Your efforts saved people!"
"Heh! What do you expect?" he answered confidently, walking away with his load.
"Our daughter called us a short while ago, and is extremely eager to know who owned the Pokemon who saved us." the woman stated, "She resides in the Kalos Region. In fact, she is a gym leader there."
"A gym leader?" Jackson echoed. Suddenly, he remembered something back after the whole Miror B. incident, where the Kimono Sisters spoke about a member of their troupe that matched the description. "Oh! Are you talking about Valerie?"
"You know her?" the old woman asked.
"The Kimono Sisters at the theatre spoke highly about her." Jackson explained, recalling what they said to him, "Said something about her wanting to be a Pokémon herself."
"Ah, yes. That's here." the old man stated.
"We gave her all sorts of fairy tale stories when she was young, she ended up believing in them." the old lady noted, "But she ended up utilizing that mindset, and is a fashion designer."
"Yeah, they told me that, too." Jackson added, "I would really like to meet her one day. Kalos region, huh..." He thought about it, and wondered what kind of place the land the Kalos region was.
Meanwhile, Gardevoir used her Psychic to move aside some rubble, with Lyanne in Latias form carrying some people who were too injured to move to a different area for medical care. Weavile and Quilava did their part in a different section. Morty was there, with his Gengar and his newly evolved Mismagius assisting in the cleanup.
"Well done, all of you." Morty told Jackson's Pokémon, "If it hadn't been for you guys, things would be a lot rougher."
Latias finished carrying one citizen to a companion who would carry them the rest of the way, returning to her Lyanne form, before pulling out her pen and pad of paper, before writing on it, saying to Morty, "We're glad to help out with the cleanup."
"I'm not just talking about that, you know." Morty answered, "I also mean assisting in stopping Ho-Oh and Lugia." He paused for a second, before stating, "You know, I had always been interested in Ho-Oh and the history behind it."
"In Ho-Oh? What do you mean?" Lyanne wrote.
Morty looked to the Bell Tower far off, stating, "The tower that was still intact. The one that was made as a place to worship it. How it revived three Pokémon that passed away in the Brass Tower after it burnt down, making them the Legendary Beasts. It has such a rich history. I only wished I met it on better terms. I only wished it were my Pokémon..." He looked to Lyanne and asked, "Tell me, as a Legendary Pokémon yourself, do you find what I say awkward?"
Lyanne paused for a moment, before writing a lot on her paper, before showing what she wrote, one page at a time. "It's only natural for trainers to be fascinated by Legendary Pokémon. But I know you don't want Ho-Oh for just its power. It's good to see you respect it enough for what it has done. And it is also I know you well enough that you wouldn't abuse such a Pokémon should you capture it. However..."
"However?" Morty echoed.
Lyanne looked back at what they experienced, and wrote, "I doubt you would be able to capture it. It is far more powerful than even Jackson could handle. I know I wouldn't stand a chance."
Morty closed his eyes and smiled, stating, "I know. It's a hopeful dream I couldn't achieve right now. But maybe, someday..."
"Hey, Morty!" Gengar shouted, his speaking voice not heard by him as he looked to her, "Mind you stop daydreaming again? We can do that later!"
"Agreed!" Quilava added, "We're kind of in the middle of something, Latias!"
"Gengar and Quilava wants us to continue working." Lyanne wrote to Morty.
"Sorry. Got distracted." Morty chuckled, "Let's keep helping out." With that, they continued the cleaning of the damage.
It took a whole day, but the next morning, Jackson, Leafeon, and Lyanne were standing outside of the Pokémon Center, with Morty and the Kimono Sisters greeting them. The city was cleaned up and organized. It was rather difficult to admit that there were several people heavily injured or even dead from the Tower Duo's damage. What's worse, there were even more damage done all throughout Johto thanks to the radio waves sending Pokémon on a deranged rampage all over. While things could've been worse, things could've been better.
"Thanks for all that you did, Jackson." Zuki told Jackson, "Your efforts here and in Goldenrod will not be forgotten anytime soon."
"Thanks, but what happened in Goldenrod wasn't my own efforts alone." Jackson pointed out, "Ethan and Kris were there. Cypher also helped out, as well. And you guys did all you could in this town, too. I just wish there was more we could've done to reduce the casualties."
"You really are putting too much on yourself." Sayo noted.
"Agreed. Look at how much you were able to achieve." Miki pointed out.
"They're right, Jackson." Lyanne told him, "We did the very best we could. You should be glad of that."
"Besides, didn't you say that people are not completely helpless in this world?" Leafeon reminded him, "That people and Pokémon are able to work together to protect one another?"
Jackson looked to the pair, then to everyone else, before smiling as he said, "You're right. Guess I'm putting too much pressure on myself."
"You should focus your thoughts on the last gym." Morty told Jackson, "You are heading to Blackthorn City. Clair is strong. You should have all your wits about you."
"Right. All my challenges right now are leading me up to my rematch with her." Jackson stated, looking determined as he thought about that goal. He turned east as he stated, "Better get moving now. Take care of yourself, everyone!"
"Farewell!" Naoko called to him.
"We hope we'll meet again." Zuki hoped.
"May good fortune await you!" Morty finished.
Jackson and Lyanne waved goodbye as everyone else waved back, before the duo and Leafeon started on their path. Next stop: Blackthorn City.